The Silver Room
by Robbie Goshawk
Summary: Hermione was once an ordinary girl, until she got her letter from Hogwarts. A chance meeting on the Hogwarts Express leaves her with disdain for a class member. Little do they know that in 5 years they'll be closer then any would have thought possible.
1. In the Beginning

Chapter 1  
  
In the normal world of mankind, there is no such thing as "real" magic. Unbeknownst to them there is a "secret" world of Wizardry and Witchery. To the wizard world, normal human beings are called muggles. This story concerns a certain muggle girl. Peter and Edith Granger had both just come out of Dentistry school some 5 years earlier. They had one girl by the name of Hermione Granger. Now, since Hermione was young her parents had noticed some unusually strange occurrences around their young daughter. One of these was Hermione's hair. Most 3 year old have a small bob of fine soft hair. Meanwhile there was Hermione Granger, who from the day she was born, had a head full of bushy brown curls that seemed to flow with electricity. The Grangers had no idea that their daughter had any special abilities until the evening of Hermione's eleventh birthday. It was this particular night that the Grangers were having a birthday supper and there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Hello?" questioned Mr Granger after he had answered the door.

"Is this the Granger residence?" asked a stern looking woman.

"Yes it is. And how may I help you?" he replied.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall and I have an important invitation for a certain Miss Hermione Granger."

"Please do come in." he said as he showed Minerva inside.

"Who is it dear?" asked Mrs Granger.

"It's a woman wanting to pass on an invitation to Hermione." McGonagall walked into the dining room and gave a good evening to Mrs Granger.

"Hello Miss Granger." she said as she had now faced Hermione.

"Good evening Ma'am" replied a quizzical Hermione.

"Well lets get down to business shall we?" said McGonagall as she sat down on a chair at the table. "The proposition I have for your family Mr and Mrs Granger, is for a scholarship to a highly accredited school. It is one of England's best and a wide range of lessons are taught there."  
  
The Grangers took Hermione's schooling seriously and the prospect of their daughter gaining a scholarship at a top school was an opportunity they couldn't give up.

"But there is also one other issue" McGonagall pressed on. "Miss Granger," she asked now looking directly at Hermione. "Have you ever made something occur without meaning to, that can't be explained?"

"Well there was a time in which a young girl was teasing Hermione about her hair in primary school and the next thing the teachers knew was that the girl had some how gotten stuck on top of the monkey bars" explained Mr Granger.

"Well the reason behind that is because, you, Miss Granger are a wizard." The Grangers just stood there with their mouths gaping open.

"A what?" Mrs Granger asked looking dumbfounded.

"A wizard, or the female equivalent, a witch" McGonagall explained. "Ever since Miss Granger was born, her name was written down in a book of magically babies born, ready to attend the best school of Witchcraft and Wizardry that England has to offer ..."

"Ex ... excuse me Ma'am" stuttered a bewildered Hermione. "But what does been a witch actually mean?"

"Well Miss Granger, it means that you may perform certain acts of magic with the aid of lessons and a wand. Hogwarts is a school in which academic achievement is considered a top priority."

"If Hermione were to go to such a school then what will she be learning? Is it just a place where she will be taught to pull rabbits out of hats or saw a body in half and then put it together again?"

"Mr Granger!!" exclaimed McGonagall. "Hogwarts is not a school for illusionists but for real witches and wizards. Hogwarts provides its students with fundamental life lessons, and lessons in which their magical abilities will grow and become stronger." The look that McGonagall was giving told Mr Granger that he had some how offended the elderly woman.

"Well then where exactly is this ... er ... Hogwarts?"

"It is in a secret location to which students can only get to by train. I'm sorry but I must have a decision now as I have other families to visit also tonight." Mr and Mrs Granger looked apprehensively at each other.

"I'll go" came a small timid voice from the spot where Hermione was sitting. "Well very good then" said McGonagall with an apparent smile on her face. "This is a list of all the things you will need for your school year, along with a map on how to get to Diagon Alley, the place in which you may buy all your school things. Good night to you all" she said as she stood up, bid them good night and vanished into thin air with a loud crack.  
  
That night the Grangers house was filled with lively discussion on how serious a life change this would mean. Mr and Mrs Granger were still in shock upon hearing that their own daughter was a witch.

"We have never heard of having a witch in the family before." came Mr Granger's shocked voice from the dining table.

"Wasn't great Aunt Agnes able to do all this weird stuff?" said Hermione who was also in a semi state of shock but was able to control herself.

"Come to think of it she was a bit strange, but then no-one would've though that to be out of the ordinary. As far as I can remember she'd always been like that" Mr Granger told Hermione.

"Well I think it's time for bed dear" Mrs Granger said as she came and ushered Hermione into her bedroom. Little did they know that sleep was the last thing on Hermione's mind.


	2. A New World

Chapter 2  
  
A week had gone by since Hermione had found out that she was a witch. It was now starting to settle in and making sense.

"You remember that time you fell out of the bunk bed at Cousin Frank's and didn't hurt yourself at all? That must've been the magic protecting you" marvelled Mr Granger.

"Dad we need to go to Diagon Alley and get my stuff for school" said an eager Hermione. Hermione was ecstatic about starting a new school, especially since she was usually the butt of jokes at the school she currently went to.

"I suppose we do. Well I'll get the car and we'll drive to this ... Leaky Cauldron and ask someone. Your Professor McGonagall told me that it was a magical get together there."  
  
An hour later, an energetic Hermione and her two worrisome parents arrived at the front of The Leaky Cauldron. As Mr Granger pushed the door open all Hermione saw were bright dots from the sunlight dancing around. It took a while for her eyes to get used to the extremely dim light of The Leaky Cauldron. Once they were adjusted, Hermione saw the most unusual people she had ever seen. There were old hags with long crooked noses, old wizards with flowing grey beards and some teeth less drunks, holding what looked like drinks that were on fire.

"Excuse me sir but could you tell me how to get to Diagon Alley?" Mr Granger asked to bartender.

"And whatcha wanna know that for muggle?" retorted the bartender.

"Well my daughter is starting Hogwarts next year and we need supplies." "Oh ... then why didntcha say so. Follow me this way." And the bartender took off slinging his filthy rag over his shoulder, which was covered in a once white shirt that was now greying. They all went out into a small courtyard at the back of the school. There the bartender tapped a series of bricks in a particular order. "Did you get that?" he asked as the Grangers watched on. "Err ... I'm pretty sure I'll remember it" said Mr Granger.

"Yes I've remembered it" said Hermione as everyone looked at her. Just then the bricks started to move around and began to form a large archway into a bustling street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley" said the bartender. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a bar to run" and with that he bowed to them and walked off.  
  
With eyes wide with astonishment, the three Grangers walked through the brick archway in unease, wondering at all the weird and unusual objects that were abundant in the stores.

"What's with all the different currency values?" asked Mr Granger as he looked at a puffy orange flower that looked like an orange rose but made of fish scales.

"It's the money that the wizarding community uses instead of the common English Pound" Hermione told him.

"Where'd you find that out?" he asked quizzically.

"Professor McGonagall gave me a book about the Wizarding community and also a book about Hogwarts. It's called Hogwarts: A History."

"Well then, the first thing we need to do is get some of this "wizard" money ... and how do we do that?" Mrs Granger asked as she looked around for a bank sign or something that may have had something to do with currency exchange.

"At the bank. It's called Gringotts and is just over there" Hermione pointed in the direction of a huge, grand building.  
  
Once they had exchange some of their English notes into Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, they looked at Hermione's list.

"The first things you'll need are your uniform items" Mrs Granger said as she looked at the list. "We can find all the uniform at _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_." Hermione said looking at the list she also had, but with the names of all the different stores in which to buy her materials from. An hour later, and with a considerable amount of pin pricks in her legs, Hermione and her parents set out for the book store, _Flourish and Blotts_. Hermione stood at the entrance, her eyes wide open. Never in her entire life had she seen so many books, and all of which were over an inch thick. She was in Heaven.

"Dad can I have this book? It's called _Spells for Beginners_, and it's written by a witch called Alison Caildren. Please can I have it dad, please?"

"Oh ... ok then" he said as a massive smile spread its way onto Hermione's face. "Your mother and I will just go and buy the books you need for school, just keep browsing until we come back." At this Hermione ran to the second story and grabbed the nearest book. She took it and sat down at the nearest bench. She then looked at the cover _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_. Hermione had no idea what the dark arts were but had the impression that they weren't altogether very good. She flicked through the book, her eyes widening at the gruesome pictures of what dark spells and potions could do to people. "Looks like someone has found a liking for the dark arts" came a cold and emotionless voice from behind Hermione. There stood an elegant man of around 40. He had shoulder length white hair and steel grey, cold eyes and wore a black coat and a staff that had a silver snake as a handle. "You must belong to those muggles downstairs" he said, his voice full of contempt. "Just so you know, Hogwarts is a school that has been letting riff raff in for centuries. Looks like nothing has changed again, especially with a crackpot old fool as a headmaster" and with this the man slammed Hermione's book shut and stormed off in a huff.

With a confused look on her face she was about to say something but then saw her parents calling her from downstairs, so she grabbed the book and made her way down, with an expectant look on her face for just one more book.


	3. Chance Encounter

Chapter 3  
  
After spending the next week anxious about starting her new school, Hermione was glad that September the first was upon her. As her parents travelled to Kings Cross station her mother looked at the train ticket

"Platform 9 ¾, what's that supposed to mean? There's no such thing"

"You have to walk through a barrier between platforms 9 and 10" said Hermione, fidgeting with the gloves that she wore.

"Look honey, you have nothing to worry about. The other students at Hogwarts are going to love you" said Mr Granger is a convincing tone.

"I hope so" thought Hermione. She couldn't get the memory of last week out of her head. "Why had that man looked at her as if she was dirt?" The man that Hermione had met in Flourish and Blotts had been on Hermione's mind all week and she hadn't been able to think why he had spoken the way he had about her and her parents. "He must not like the school then" she thought. It was the only reason why she could think of someone speaking with so much disdain about someone else.

"Well sweety we're here" Hermione's mum said, breaking her train of thoughts.  
  
After much hustle and fuss about wether she had everything, Mr and Mrs Granger finally bid Hermione goodbye on the train and left her compartment. She looked out of the window and saw a large number of red heads flowing past, accompanied by a jet black one.

"Hi, excuse me but is this seat taken?" asked a nervous and timid looking boy. "No it's free. Hi I'm Hermione Granger" she introduced herself.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, and this is my toad Trevor ... Trevor? I no I've lost him again, my Uncle Alge is gonna hit me with an engorgement charm if I don't find Trevor" Neville said as he frantically began to sort through his robes and the compartment. The next thing a girl with red hair came in. She didn't look like one of the group that had passed earlier.

"Hi I'm Susan Bones, the trolley lady said that the train was gonna leave any minute now." she stopped as she saw Neville on his hands and knees looking under the seats. "What on earth are you doing?"

"He's looking for his toad, Trevor, by the way, I'm Hermione Granger and this is Neville Longbottom."

"Hi ya" came Neville's muffled voice as half of his body was twisted under the seat. "Well I'll help you guys look for it then."

"Why don't we look in the hallway and in other compartments?" suggested Hermione.

"Sounds good, let's go" said Susan. Hermione went down the end of her carriage looking on the floor for a toad. She came to the last carriage and opened it.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy called Neville has lost it." The occupants of the carriage, one of the red haired boys whom she had seen on the platform and the boy with jet black hair that was with them sat there looking at her. The red haired boy had a rat in one hand and was holding his wand in the other. "Are you doing a spell? Come on then let's see." After saying an incantation the first boy tapped the rat. A puff of smoke rose and the rat was still its usual brown self. "That's not a spell, and it didn't even work, my name's Hermione Granger" she said looking at the dark haired boy.

"I'm Harry Potter" he said "H... Harry Potter?" she stumbled the words out. "Yeah" he said and tried to cover the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. "Sorry but I've just read so much about you and the way you defeated you- know-who at such a young age."

"Who, Voldermort?" Hermione and the other boy shuddered. "Sorry, forgot we're not supposed to say his name." Hermione now faced the other boy "and you are...?"

"I'm Ron Weasley" he said through half a mouth of Cauldron Cake.

"Pleased I'm sure." "Anyway must be off and help find Neville's toad. See you when we get to Hogwarts."

"Yeah see you then" replied Harry. On her way back to their compartment, Hermione passed another compartment in which a young white haired boy sat alone. "Hi" said Hermione, stopping to see what he was like. "My name is Hermione Granger, what's yours?"

"Granger? That's a muggle name. Father said that muggles are going to be the downfall of Hogwarts. Malfoys never interact civilly with muggles." and with that he turned and looked out the window. Shocked, Hermione backed out the doorway.

"What a rude bastard" she thought to herself and stormed back to her original compartment.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked her as Hermione slammed the door shut behind her, shattering the glass.

"Aaaaarghh, _repairo_" she said angrily as shards of glass flew back into place, repairing the once broken window. "I just met the most irritatingly annoying person on the planet"

"So you've met Draco Malfoy then?" said Susan with a small nod. "Yeah the whole Malfoy family thinks that they're the cream of the wizarding world, all because they come from a line of pure blooded wizards and witches. I mean look at Neville, he's a pureblood but he doesn't think of himself as any better." And with this Hermione noticed Neville again, still toad less.

"Don't let him get to you Hermione, I mean I can't even do a simple spell let alone what you just did with the glass." he replied.

With this Hermione brightened considerably, little did she know that over the next five years that Draco Malfoy would be a thorn in the side to her and her friends.


	4. Changes For Better or Worse?

**Author's Notes**: This chapter is post OOTP, I haven't been able to fill out all the details so I hope that you, the reader, have read Harry Potter 1 – 5 and therefore know where I am continuing from. I will be updating every wednesday from now on so look here next wed for another chapter or two :D Thanx and Enjoy

* * *

Hermione awoke with a start. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the dim interior of the house that she was sleeping in.

"Where am I?" she thought. It was then that she saw three other bundles lying on fold out cots around her. Hermione had come with Harry and Ron Weasley's family to, once again, number 12 Grimmauld Place. Although the owner of the house, Sirius Black had disappeared the previous year, it now belonged to Harry, as he was the legal heir of his Godfather Sirius. The last five years for Hermione and her new friends Ron, Harry, Neville, Susan, Ron's younger sister Ginny and various other fellow Gryffyndor housemates, had been one of mass excitement and danger. Harry, Hermione and Ron had been up against Voldermort several times, and each time with them thwarting his attempts at trying to return to his full self.  
  
As Hermione sat in her bed, she saw Ginny stir in her sleep.

"What had made her wake up so suddenly?" she thought to herself. Just then she heard the creak of the floorboards. Creeping out of her bed and to the bedroom door, well it wasn't really a bedroom, but an emptied out drawing room, and slowly edged the door open. Distantly she heard faintly frantic voices.

"Hurry get him into the kitchen" said a worried female's voice. Hermione quickly put on her slippers and cloak and scurried across the landing and looked down at the commotion ensuing below in the entrance.

"Give him some room people, let him breathe. Molly get a cup of firewhisky and some chocolate." Arthur Weasley, Ron's dad, said as Hermione saw Molly Weasley, Ron's mum, run from the kitchen to the drinks cabinet in the entrance.

"Hermione dear what are you doing up at this hour?" Mrs Weasley said in shock as she saw Hermione stretched over the banister.

"I couldn't sleep and I heard voices so I came out to have a look. What's happening, what's wrong?" Hermione asked with a hint of panic and intrigue in her voice.

"Never mind dear, just pop back into bed and you'll find out in the morning" Mrs Weasley told her as she grabbed the firewhisky and a block of chocolate from her handbag. As Mrs Weasley disappeared, Hermione hurried back into the bedroom and found her wand.

"Lumos" she whispered, and the wand tip lit up. "I gotta find Harry's invisibility cloak" she thought to herself. She stumbled to the end of the bed in which Harry slept and opened the trunk. Hedwig, Harry's snow owl had just flown in from her hunting trip, soon followed by Ron's erratic owl Pigwidgeon. "Hello Hedwig, have you seen Harry's cloak?" Hermione asked her. Hedwig softly hooted and flew to the bed head on the bed Harry was sleeping in. "Thanks Hedwig" said Hermione, giving the owl a stroke on the back. Hermione then put Harry's cloak on over herself and she was immediately invisible.  
  
Making her way downstairs, Hermione could hear the voices getting louder. "Just slow down Alexander and tell us what happened". That was Molly, and Hermione had never met another wizard by the name of Alexander.

"Well I was on early morning shift at the ministry when I was attacked. It was Lucious Malfoy I tell you. I could recognise those cold grey eyes anywhere." This statement made Hermione freeze. Lucious Malfoy had escaped Azkaban prison!! This was not that unexpected, but it proved that the dementors had finally given up control of the prison and joined the side of Voldermort. As she stood there listening, her heart was beating furiously in her chest.

"Why did he attack you Alexander?" came Remus Lupin's voice.

"I'm not entirely certain, but he didn't get very far. Jocelyn from security heard the scuffle and came running over with her wand out. That scared off Lucious who apparated before we could get him."

"So they're still trying to get at something in the Ministry then" said Mr Weasley, who by the sounds of it was thinking and frowning very hard.

"Well the best thing for anyone right now is to go to bed right away and we'll deal with it properly in the morning" said Mrs Weasley in a stern yet motherly voice.

"Shit they're gonna find me here" Hermione almost screamed as she ran two steps at a time, soundlessly, and just managed to get to their bedroom when the first person reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
Next morning was an early morning because school term was starting again. "Hurry up kids, if you don't get up now then you'll be late." screamed Molly up the stairs. Fred and George apparated in the bedroom in which Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were sleeping. Ron almost jumped out of his bed with the gun shot arrival of the twins.

"Whaaaaaaaa ..." he yelled as his arms and legs went flailing about and ended up on the floor twisted in his bed spreads.

"Oh sorry Ron didn't know you were asleep" said Fred with a very evil smile. "Yeah just though you might want to know that there's a new guy in the house" said George.

"What?" said Harry, Ron and Ginny in unison.

"Yeah he came in early this morning" explained Hermione.

"How did you know" both Fred and George asked her with put off faces at having their bit of information known about.

"I saw him coming in. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep and then heard them in the entrance. His name is Alexander and he's from the Ministry. Says he was attacked by Lucious Malfoy."

"But... but ... he's in Azkaban Hermione, he can't get out." spluttered Ron. "Ronald, haven't you been listening to anything that I and various other people have told you about the dementors. They aren't going to stay loyal to the ministry when what they want is with Voldermort." The Weasley children shuddered. "Oh stop it you lot. Fear of the name only increases fear in the thing itself. You have to learn that we, the Light side will over-come Voldermort." More shudders. "Aaaaargh, I give up." and she flicked her wand and her clothes finished folding themselves and the trunk lid snapped shut. "Someone didn't get enough sleep," joked George. Over a hurried breakfast, all the kids asked anyone who would listen who the new guy was.

"Alexander is still recovering from his ordeal, Yes Ron he was attacked, but by whom we're not entirely certain. RON. Do not say things like that about another person, no matter how true it may be, especially in front of your sister" scolded Molly as she backhanded Ron, with a slight smile on her face while trying to explain things to the children.

"We don't know for sure if it was Lucious Malfoy, Alexander thinks it was him, that's all. Now enough talking and hurry up and finish your breakfast, you'll miss the Hogwarts Express."  
  
A rushed couple of hours later and the trio plus Ginny were on board the train. "Good luck with the store guys" yelled Hermione to Fred and George. She knew that it was their lifelong passion to indulge themselves, as well as others with pranks and sweets that make you ill so you get out of class. As the train started Hermione remembered, "Sorry guys but I have to go to the prefect's carriage; you know how it was Ron?"

"Yeah, but you better get back here soon," he replied with an irritated expression as Pig kept twittering in his cage. Hermione stood and readjusted her Prefects badge. Her parents had been so proud of her, prefect two years in a row. Hermione was sure to get Head Girl spot next year. As Hermione walked through the hall, a door opened and the person walked right into Hermione.

"Watch it you filthy mudblood, I just bought these cloaks from Paris and don't want you making them filthy with you mudblood self." Just then Draco Malfoy saw the prefects badge on Hermione's chest at the same time that she saw his badge. "Trust Dumbledore to make perfect miss know it all a prefect two years running" Draco sneered.

"You're a prefect again to" Hermione retorted.

"Well just stay away from me Granger, otherwise who knows what growths will be sprouting from your mouth." At this Draco's cronies laughed and Hermione just glared. She would never forget fourth year, when she and Pansy Parkinson had been hit with spells from Harry's and Draco's wands. It had been an accident that the girls were hit but it was a blessing in disguise, remembered Hermione, rubbing her tongue on her filed down teeth and smiling. She stood up and walked to the prefect's carriage. Susan Bones was also in there. She was the Hufflepuff Prefect, as was Connor O'Patrick for Ravenclaw.

"Students" said Professor McGonagall. "This year there is only one representative from each house, as we will be doing something slightly different this year. The sixth grade prefects will be responsible for seeing that there is no inter-house animosity" and with this statement she gave Hermione and Draco a stern gaze. Draco stared straight ahead of him as if he hadn't heard a thing she was saying. This annoyed Hermione, as she knew that the only teacher Draco ever listened to was Professor Snape. "Right then, the four of you, as well as the head boy and girl," and she pointed to Cho Chang from Ravenclaw, and Isaac Lyricson from Hufflepuff. "Your first task as prefects will be to walk down the corridor and make suer that students are behaving correctly. You will be doing this in pairs; the heads will go together, Susan and Connor then Hermione and Draco. Now any questions?" Hermione just stood there with her mouth hanging open, even Draco was shocked.

"But professor why do I have to go with him?" Spurted Hermione before Draco could protest.

"You two were put together because it is your houses that are causing the most problems in this school. The rivalry between the Gryffyndors and Slytherins is unhealthy and we need you two to sort it out."

"But professor..." spluttered Draco.

"Enough said, this is the school's final decision and you will carry it out. Have a safe journey and you may all leave now." With this, McGonagall ushered the prefects and heads out of the carriage.

"This is so not fair," mumbled Draco. "I'm going to get ..." and here he stopped, comprehension dawning on his face.

"What you going to send you father and owl and get him to bail you out Malfoy," Hermione asked sarcastically. "Oh wait he's in Azkaban isn't he ... oops, or he's probably been given the kiss by now" although she knew well enough that he was out.

"Shut up you fucking filthy, mudblood, don't you dare talk about my father." Draco had his wand out and was pointing it at Hermione.

"How dare you threaten me you insolate prick," and with that she raised her wand. "I'm much quicker with a wand Malfoy so watch it."

"Huh you think you know how to duel? You must be kidding, I know more dark curses then you will ever know" and with that Draco turned and started patrolling the hallways looking for a first year to threaten with a detention if they dared look at him. Hermione, still about to hex Draco, had to count slowly under her breath.

"One ... two... three ...breathe. There at least I'm more clear-headed now" and she followed Draco at a distance, ready to fix any damage he did to any opposing house member.


End file.
